The present invention refers to a support structure and to a method of connecting one structural element to another structural element. In particular, the present invention is concerned with a support structure of the type including a section bar mounted to a support bar via a screw connection.
It is known to provide a support structure by mounting an end face of the section bar to a longitudinal side of the support bar by means of screws, with the support bar having longitudinal sides provided with central longitudinal grooves, and with the screws being secured transversely in the support bar. The screw is threaded in an inner chamber of the section bar, with the inner chamber extending in longitudinal direction, and with the head of the screw bearing upon the support bar.
In such a conventional support structure, the screw is retained within the support bar by supporting the head of the screw with a washer or supporting disk or sliding block which is arranged in the undercut longitudinal groove facing the section bar. The screw is threadably engaged in an inner chamber, which is arranged concentrically to the mid-axis of the section bar by means of a suitable tool such as a screw driver which is inserted in a respective transverse bore in the support bar.
Because of the required precise central attachment, such a support structure or type of connection has only a relative small load carrying ability, and in particular is not sufficiently able to compensate torsional loads which means that the section bar is not secured against rotation when being mounted to the support bar. A further drawback is the necessity to insert the screw together with the supporting disk from the open end of the support bar which makes it difficult to accurately position the section bar and the support bar relative to each other. Also, a subsequent installation of a section bar between neighboring sections bars becomes very difficult because it requires complete dismantling of at least one section bar in order to allow the screw and the supporting disk to be inserted from the open end of the support bar for mounting the new section bar thereto.
A support structure of this type is thus difficult to make and complicated to handle so that its application becomes uneconomic.